After a steep learning curve, Shane van Gisbergen is finally figuring out ovals. That should scare the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series field.
Shane van Gisbergen’s Oval Progress Raises Stakes for NASCAR Field
The New Zealander finished P6 at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway on Sunday. It’s his best oval result in Cup Series competition. He did it the hard way, surviving two separate trips through the infield grass and still driving his No. 97Â Chevrolet to a strong result.
The 36-year-old admitted he still makes mistakes on speedways. He said he lacks patience and sometimes gets his timing wrong. But he also said he is “leaps and bounds” ahead of where he was on ovals just a year ago. That growth is becoming very real, very fast.
Van Gisbergen started outside the top 20. He moved forward quickly and was challenging Kyle Larson for third at the end of Stage 2.
Larson came all the way down the track and collected SVG’s nose, sending him spinning into the infield. Larson crashed into the wall and was done for the day. Van Gisbergen kept going.
He spun again later in the race, this time on his own, exiting Turn 4. Another trip through the grass. The car survived both incidents largely intact. That alone tells you something about his car control and Trackhouse Racing’s setup.
Van Gisbergen faded from contention after the second spin. But a late caution changed everything. He pitted for fresh tires and restarted seventh for the final overtime run. From there, it was vintage SVG. He found himself in a three-wide battle and latched onto teammate Ross Chastain.
He pushed Chastain forward, and at the white flag, van Gisbergen was running fourth. In the final corner, he got shuffled back to sixth. He did not fight it. Sixth place was still enough to make history. It beat his previous best oval result of tenth at Kansas last fall.
The points’ impact was just as significant. A P30 in the Daytona 500 dropped him to 28th in the standings. Atlanta’s result vaulted him to 16th. That matters more than it sounds in 2026.
NASCAR reconfigured its championship format this season. After Race 26, the top 16 drivers in the standings advance into the playoffs. Van Gisbergen is now sitting right on that bubble. His team has been clear about the goal: accumulate points on ovals so he can dominate when the series hits road courses.
That strategy is working. He qualified 13th at Daytona, led three laps, and ran inside the top 10 for stretches before getting caught up in someone else’s wreck. Then came Atlanta. Now comes COTA, where he is expected to be a genuine threat to win.
Much of van Gisbergen’s career was built on road course success in the Australian SuperCars Series. He arrived in NASCAR with elite road racing credentials and had to build oval skills from the ground up. That process is clearly accelerating.
The rest of the field has had a year to watch him improve. They now know he will be hard to beat every time the series leaves the oval. And if Atlanta is any sign, he may be getting harder to beat there, too.
